What I Hate About You
by Blackout Blur
Summary: Based on the prompt that when you meet your soulmate, your chest glows. Percy wasn't a nerd but he was used to getting beat up by Jason Grace, your stereotypical jock. They used to be bros but now they only talk when Percy's in pain. But, since the universe hates him it turns out they're soulmates.
1. Prologue

Percy hated him so much. He hated his stupid blonde hair, his blue eyes. He couldn't stand his pearly whites, the small scar above his lip.

Jason Grace.

That name brought so many feelings with it: pain, anger, sadness, complete and utter loathing. Jason had made Percy suffer so much in the past few years. But, Percy wouldn't let the stupid jock get to him, even if he bullied him _every damn day._ Percy could roll with the punches and the words. He was used to it. He could thank his ex-stepfather for that.

Now, Percy wanted to report Jason to Principle Lupa, but he tried before and it didn't change anything. Not a single faculty member believed that golden boy, quarterback Jason Grace could be a bully. No one believed the dumb, screw up loser when he told them the unexpected truth of the most popular guy in the grade. And all Percy got for trying to make things better was a detention for "lying". So, Percy endured. He only had 3 years until he could leave this hell-hole people called school. He could survive for 3 years.

Now, this isn't to say Percy's life was horrible. In fact, his life got sufficiently better once his stepfather, Gabe, got arrested. He had one friend, Rachel. But, then she left to go to some fancy all-girls private school. They stayed in contact and hung out during breaks during the school year but it wasn't the same as getting to see each other every day. So, Percy was alone again. Well, not completely alone. He had his mother.

Sally Jackson was an angel. She was 5 feet of ambitious, compassionate amazingness. She wasn't always home due to the many jobs she took to support her and Percy. But when she was home, the apartment smelled like freshly baked cookies and the atmosphere was warm and cozy. Her brown hair was laced with grey streaks and cascaded down her back in loose waves. He eyes were clear and blue although the bags under eye betrayed the amount of overnight shifts she took. But, even when she was tired and practically living off coffee, she was sweet and kind. Percy admired that.

Percy also loved his pets. Mrs. O'Leary was a huge, fluffy mass of black fur. She loved to play and was super energetic. Many a time where she ran over a pedestrian on their daily walk. Then there was Small Bob. Small Bob was actually given to the Jacksons by an elderly tenant who lived in the apartment next door. The cat was sneaky and found a way to meddle in the Jacksons daily lives. Sally loved them but was concerned about the space they would take up. Yet, Percy loved them both and thus they stayed.

But back to Jason.

Percy was walking from his English Support class to Gym when he felt a shove from behind. He stumbled to the floor, laughter from the culprit ringing in his ears. He picked himself up from the tile flooring, stumbling and struggling to not drop his books and turned around. Just to come face to face with the devil himself. Well, it wasn't the devil but it may have as well been. It was Jason Grace and two of his many friends, Frank and Grover. Grover and Frank looked kind of apologetic about what was happening, but they didn't dare stop their friend.

Percy didn't exactly blame Jason for not liking him. He had been nice and welcoming when Percy first moved to Olympus Estates, but Percy found a way to screw it up. They were actually becoming friends, but then they got into a fight. But, just because Jason had a right to be mad at Percy didn't give Jason a right to bully Percy. So, Percy retaliated.

"Oh, Jason, it's just you. I was scared it was someone important."

Percy said it with a smirk on his lips. He was a big Disney fan and had been dying to use that quote. Was he scared of Jason? Hell ya. Was he going to let Jason know that? Not a chance. Percy could see Jason visibly grit his teeth.

"We'll see who will be laughing when you're on the floor bleeding, Jackson." Jason growled.

"I think my bunny slippers just ran for cover." Percy exclaimed dryly, sarcasm dripping from each word.

Jason had had enough. He grabbed Percy by the scruff of his neck and dragged him into the boy's locker room. They did have gym together this period after all. He threw a, "See you later!", over his shoulder to Grover and Frank and continued on his way. Entering the boys locker room no one spared them a glance. They were used to seeing Jason terrorize Percy. Jason slammed Percy against the row of lockers and fired a left hook at his gut twice. Not expecting the hit to come so fast, Percy didn't defend himself in time. Percy's head lowered after the blows, in reflex, and gave Jason the perfect opportunity to knee him in the face. Jason threw Percy to the floor and got ready to kick him, but as Jason threw Percy to the ground, something weird happened. Their chests began to glow a harsh pink. The way science explains it, when you meet your soulmate, your body releases a hormone that reacts with the ANP hormone in your heart. The reaction causes your chest to glow a brilliant pink. That was how you knew who you were destined to be with. Now, there were sometimes complications with the system but it was mostly trustworthy. Which was why Percy was currently freaking out.

Everyone in the locker room was frozen. No one really knew how to react. At least it was frozen until Percy swore, "Holy shit! We are so screwed!". Jason was just confused. Here was the boy he had relentlessly tormented for the past couple years, except now he was his soulmate. One of the boys must have gotten the gym teacher, Coach Hedge, because Percy was suddenly snapped out of his panic when a voice boomed through the whole room, "Well, we got us some glowing cupcakes!". Coach Hedge was a small, porky man, but the small body packed a lot of aggression. He swung his signature baseball bat as he approached Jason and Percy. "Well you boys better head over to the guidance counselor to get this sorted out." Jason huffed and walked away, leaving Percy confused on the ground. Coach Hedge, taking pity on Percy, bent down and helped him up.

Percy met up with Jason outside. "Don't you dare think this changes anything," Jason warned. Percy nodded in understanding although his eyes were still hazy and unfocused.

As if he was sleep walking, Percy followed Jason to the guidance office. As they walked down the hallway, Percy watched in wonder as his chest began to dim slightly. It was still bright but it was an improvement from when it was new and basically blinding people.

They reached the guidance counselor, Mr. Chiron Brunner. Percy was very familiar with Chiron and his room. It was kind of sad actually. Percy had spent numerous lunch periods sitting on the faded, leather couch.

Jason walked up to the door and let out 3 crisp knocks. Percy absentmindedly thought about how if there was an Olympic door-knocking competition, Jason would surely win. Blame the ADHD. "Come in," was called out from inside the office. Turning the handle, Jason swung the door open and calmly walked in. The same could not be said for Percy. Jason didn't hold the door open, and in Percy's dazed state of mind, he walked straight into the closing door.

"What the fuck?" Percy swore, rubbing his forehead.

"Now now, Mr. Jackson, there will be no swearing. However, I will let you go this time." Chiron Brunner was a middle age man that, due to an unfortunate car accident when he was younger, was handicapped. He had dark brown hair, a scruffy beard, and kind brown eyes. He was taking off his signature tweed jacket, that always smelled like coffee, as the pair of boys entered.

Mr. Brunner's office was a cozy place. The light grey walls contrasted well with the dark furniture. There was a simple, ebony wood desk and a worn leather couch positioned right in front of the desk. In the back, behind Chiron's desk was a big bookcase that covered the entire wall. The walls were decorated with picture of students that Chiron had helped throughout the years. One of these pictures were of Percy.

"Well, I can tell you both got the sign and I'm assuming you're soulmates," Chiron inferred. Although his statement was true, Chiron also seemed confused on how a bully and a victim could be soulmates. The counselor wasn't blind like the other teachers, he knew what Jason did to Percy. Percy couldn't understand how he and Jason could be soulmates either.

Jason sneered at Percy, "Unfortunately, yes. I am soulmates with this fag." Jason didn't mean for the bullying to go this far, but once he started he couldn't stop. "I'd rather kill myself than date him."

Percy felt tears coming to his eyes. Jason had insulted him before but never went as far to say he'd choose death over Percy. And now they were soulmates! But some people will never change, and Jason Grace was one of those people.

Percy ran out of the room.

* * *

Jason hated him. He hated his messy raven locks, his adorable freckles. He couldn't stand his ocean green eyes, his golden-bronze skin.

Percy Jackson.

Percy Jackson was a mystery to Jason. He was flirty, and witty, and sarcastic. But he was also friendly, and generous, and kind. It didn't make sense. People rarely make sense.

When Percy first moved to Olympus Estates, he and Jason became close friends quickly. They both had a very strong sense of family and they both had bold personalities. However, Percy soon became more and more popular amongst the students. Jason wasn't used to not being in the spotlight. Then they had an argument. In a fit of anger, he pushed Percy and insulted him.

After the incident Jason felt horrible about being so rude. Jason didn't want to end a good friendship because he was being petty. He made a decision. He was going to apologize.

But, when he got to school he realized that everyone had turned their back on Jackson. It was almost pathetic the way the followed the powerful blindly. But, he himself didn't want to be hated so he went along with the trend of hating Percy Jackson.

He didn't remember when he started becoming the main bully.

Slowly, Jason participated more and more in the insults, until one day he realized he was the main culprit. Jason tried to stop, really. But, he was to drunk on power, and thus, the bullying continued. Eventually, Jason got used to it and it became the norm.

Which led to today's predicament.

Jason was walking from Home Ec to Gym when he saw Percy walking by himself. Once Jason and Percy split, all their friends sided with Jason, having known him longer. Grover and Frank watched as Jason shoved Percy to the ground. Jason watched Percy get up.

"Oh, Jason, it's just you. I was scared it was someone important."

Percy said it, smirking at Jason. Infuriated, Jason retaliated.

"We'll see who will be laughing when you're on the floor bleeding, Jackson." Jason said, growling.

"I think my bunny slippers just ran for cover." Percy mocked.

Unable to control his anger, Jason grabbed Percy and practically dragged Percy to Gym. Slamming Percy into a locker, Jason layer on the hits. However, he stopped when he saw his and Percy's chest grow a brilliant pink. He was confused until he notice pink light emitting from his own chest. Jason didn't want to believe it (for more than one reason). For starters, he wasn't gay. Then there was also the fact that his "soulmate" was the kid he'd recently bullied.

They were so screwed.


	2. Aftermath

After Percy had run out, Jason and Mr. Brunner sat in tense silence until Mr. Brunner awkwardly cleared him throat.

"Mr. Grace that was extremely rude. When Percy returns I expect you to give him a sincere apology. Due the fact that you two are soulmates, I expect you to be much nicer to him."

Jason sighed. He didn't know what to do about the situation. Should he continue being rude or should he at least try to be a tad nicer to Percy? On one side, they used to be friends. After all, Percy used to be popular for a reason, he was charismatic and very sweet. But, he was used to bullying Percy. It was normal and normal was always a comforting feeling. They sat in the office, silently, for a few more minutes and waited for Percy to return.

When Percy walked in, Mr. Brunner eyed Jason in a way that said, 'apologize now or so help me god'. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Jason tried to think of what to say.

"So, um, Percy... " Jason trailed off, but he had Percy's attention. " I, uh, just wanted to say I'm sorry for insulting you earlier."

Percy gave him an unimpressed glare and rolled his eyes. Jason cringed, knowing he messed up.

"Look, I know I've been a complete jerk to you. But, we're soulmates now and I would like to give us a chance."

Percy scoffed, turned on his heel and walked out of the room, again.

Jason wanted to talk to him at the end of the day but it appeared that he left. Remembering his address from when they were still friends, Jason made his way over to the Jackson's place of residence. Knocking on the door, Jason tried to think of something to say. The door was opened with a loud creak and Jason was standing face-to-face with Sally Jackson.

She ushered him in while saying, "Percy came home early today and was really upset. I wasn't able to gather much but i know he's your soulmate. I also know that you've been a complete and utter jerk to him. So, you better fix my son."

Jason stared her in the eye for a minute before slowly nodding his head.

"I'll try my best, ma'am"

Making his way deeper into the apartment, he stopped in front of the white door. Gently knocking, he pushed the door open and made his way into the room.

Percy hadn't changed at all. His room was a light, blue-gray color, but most of it was covered by posters of various bands and TV shows. His bed spread was all blue and next to his bed was a desk and book case. Clothes, DVD's, and CD's were strewn all over the floor. The man himself was on the bed, asleep.

Jason walked over and shook Percy gently.

"Wake up, man. I need to talk to you".

Percy mumble something along the lines of '5 more minutes'. Then, he swatted at Jason's hand and turned over. Jason tried again and this time he was successful, sort of. Once Percy opened his eyes and realized it wasn't his mom, his reflexes kicked in. Jason was too late in raising his arms as Percy shoot a fist at his face. Jason swears he didn't scream like a girl as his nose started to bleed.

After fixing Jason's nose, they sat down in Percy's room.

"Jason, sorry about punching you in the face."

"It's fine. I deserved it for hitting you all the time."

"You're right. You did deserve it."

They sat in silence. Jason tried again.

"I'm so sorry that I was such a dick to you the past few years. It wasn't right for me to hurt you and I want to make amends. Perseus Jackson, will you be my boyfriend?"

Percy looked up, his eyes blazing with fury.

"That's it? You bullied me for years and now you want to date just because of some soulmate sign? You wanted to make amends. I don't see you making amends. I bet you would still hate me if we didn't get the sign! So, no, I won't be your boyfriend."

"Percy, please, think this through-"

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"

So, Jason left with a quick goodbye to Ms. Jackson.

Looks like he had to figure out how to woo one Perseus Jackson.

The next day at school, Jason was sitting with his friends at lunch. Percy hadn't showed up to school. News had spread like a wildfire and when Jason got to school there was a lot of wolf-whistles and comments. So, like he predicted,at lunch all his friends wanted to talk about was his soulmate. At the table was Reyna, Annabeth, Rachel, Grover, Leo, Frank, Piper, Hazel, Thalia, and Luke. As soon as he sat down, the comments began.

"So I hear you're soulmates with kelp-for-brains," quipped his sister, Thalia.

Jason groaned and buried his head in his hands. Now that his sister knew, the teasing from her would be relentless.

"Ya, but I have to woo him first," Jason sighed.

"Woo? What century are you from, the 1800's?", Piper barked, laughing.

Jason explained the situation and all the events that took place yesterday. Most of his friends sent him pitying looks. Piper, Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth just sent him smirks, like they were amused and not at all concerned. Knowing them, they probably were amused.

"Guys, can you please help me come up with a plan." Jason immediately regretted asking when they all turned to look at him.

That day, Jason Grace walked out of the cafeteria clutching a napkin with writing scribbled all over it like his life depended on it.

Percy Jackson was a simple man.

If he woke up and wanted to go back to sleep, he went back to sleep. If he wanted ice cream, and his wallet allowed it, he got ice cream. Which is why when he woke up and remembered the previous day, he decided to stay home. His mom left for the train to work before he even woke up for school, so she wouldn't know he skipped. Even if she did find out, she would mind, considering the circumstances. So, at 6:45, when Percy's alarm clock went off, he turned it off and went back to sleep.

He woke up again at 9 something and got some cereal before plopping in front of the TV to watch Sherlock. He sometimes wished he could be more like Sherlock, cold and unfeeling and witty and smart. It was probably why he loved the show so much, even if it only had 4 seasons. After watching one episode he got up and made himself a sandwich for lunch. The rest of the day continued like that, watching TV and only getting up to eat and use the bathroom.

Percy looked at the clock and realized it was pretty late. His mom worked late on Thursdays so she could come home early on Wednesdays. Percy turned off the TV and was making his way to his room when the doorbell rang. Percy looked at the door, confused. Who in their right mind comes to someone's house at 9:34? Percy grabbed the bat next to his bedroom door before walking over to the door. He was paranoid about robbers, ok? He unlocked and opened the door with one hand and got ready to swing the bat with his other hand.

"Hey Per- DON'T SWING! DON'T SWING!", Jason began talking calmly but his panic escalated when he saw Percy ready to assault him with a baseball bat.

"Oh, Jason, it's just you." Percy mumbled, embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Jason pulled out a paperboard box from behind him back and presented it to Percy. It was white and was tied with a blue ribbon. Percy let Jason inside, and opened the box. Once Percy peeked inside, he couldn't help but squeal. Jason had given him a chocolate cake with the words "Sorry I'm So Stupid" printed on the front. Percy was a sucker for sweets, especially cake.

"You said you didn't see me making amends. Here is amend #1. I hope you like it because it took forever to make.", Jason said, bowing like a performer in a show. He meant what he said. He made the cake as an apology, but seeing the amazed look on Percy's face as he glanced back and forth between Jason and the cake was worth it.

Percy thought it over before nodding,"We can try this, but if you screw me over you'll regret it."

Jason grinned, at least he had a chance to make things up to Percy. But, he was nervous too. What if he screwed things up and Percy didn't want anything to do with him?

The next day, Percy walked into school feeling nervous. He wasn't sure how he should act towards Jason today. Jason was super kind last night, but that was not in public. Would they act like they did before in school or would they act like soulmates? The decision was made for him in between 4th and 5th period. Percy was putting away his math books and getting his lunch when Jason came over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Hey babe, I'm going to walk you to lunch and then we're gonna have lunch together with my friends", Jason grinned.

Percy nodded numbly and followed Jason to the cafeteria. His internal panic raged as Jason led them over to his table and sat Percy down in between him and Luke.

Percy remembered most of these people. Before his great exile, he was friends with most of them. He remembered Annabeth's amazing mind. He remembered Reyna's strength. He remembered Frank's shy nature and Leo's hyper one. He remembered Grover's concern with the environment. He remembered Rachel's impressive art skills. He remembered Hazel's sweet and kind personality. He remembered Piper and Thalia's rebel ways. He remembered Luke's pranks. When Percy looked at them, he remembered a bunch of amazing and cool things about them. When they looked at him, they probably saw a freak.

"So, guys", Jason cleared his throat, "I'm not sure if you remember, but this is Percy," Jason said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the table when he and Percy had sat down.

"He has nice eyes", commented Piper before stabbing her fork into her salad and taking a bite.

"Yes, he does", said Percy, annoyed at being talked about like he wasn't there. Piper let out an amused snort at Percy's comment.

That seemed to clear the air as everyone dispersed into their own private conversations. Jason talked with his friends as Percy picked at his food, no longer hungry. He didn't feel any romantic attraction to Jason. It was hard for him to go straight from hating him to loving him. Percy still kind of hated him. Jason acting nice doesn't erase all the bad times where Jason insulted and physically harmed Percy. God must really hate Percy, if he's making Jason his soulmate. Jason probably didn't like Percy either. Percy got up from the table and walked to the library to brood. Percy couldn't hide his annoyance as he was proved correct: no one realized he even left. Percy knew he was being unreasonable, he didn't even try to get anyone's attention before leaving. But, his rage at Jason and the whole damn school had been festering under the surface for far too long. Percy didn't lose his temper often, but when he did, it was bad.

By the time he calmed down, he had already made up his mind. He was gonna get revenge. He was gonna get Jason Grace to fall in love with him. Then, he was gonna break his heart.

 **Thanks for reading! I apologize for Percy's mood swings but they will make more sense later on in the story.**


	3. Scheming

Percy looked around his room. He had done his research and it was exhausting. For the past 12 hours, he had watched every chick flick that had anything to do with revenge and players and all that cliché stuff. How many teen romance movies did Hollywood need? It was long and tedious, but he knew what he needed to know. He knew that he needed to make Jason fall in love with him hard. Which would be hard because Percy is like that girl from Ten Things I Hate About You. He's blunt, and although he tries to be nice, his words always came out wrong. But, Percy was ready to break Jason's heart none the less. Screw soulmate destiny from God.

Walking into school the next day, Percy was feeling confident. He was wearing black skinny jeans and and a Pink Floyd tank top. In other words, he made sure to dress good today instead of his normal lifeguard sweats and band tees. He was still wearing a band tee but Percy could confidently say he looked good today. Walking to Jason's locker, Percy made sure to add a little sway to his hips. It was subtle but it was there. Walking up to Jason, Percy went on his toes to kiss his cheek.

Leaning up a bit more, Percy managed to whisper, "Ok, I'll give us a shot. But, this doesn't mean you're completely forgiven."

Jason looked at Percy and smirked, "I could live with that".

Taking Percy's hand, Jason led Percy to his first class. Afterall, don't people walk each other to class when they date? Hollywood says yes. The wolf-whistles were loud as they walked hand-in-hand down the hallway. "Teenagers"', Percy scoffed, pretending he wasn't amused by their antics. Stopping outside Percy's first class, chem, Jason smiled at Percy before walking away.

At lunch, Percy sat in the same spot as the day before. He yawned. Maybe he shouldn't have pulled an all nighter to watch movies. Opening up the wrap around his burger, he took a huge bite and practically moaned around the taste. His mom totally made the best burgers to ever exist on the human earth.

He was so caught up in his burger, Percy didn't notice Jason sitting down to his right.

"Hey doll" Jason said.

Percy wrinkled his nose at the pet name. Pets names were not manly.

"Please don't call me that," Percy was blunt in his request.

"Don't call you what, doll?", Jason teased, amusing everyone else at the lunch table. Groaning at the playful jab, Percy rammed his head down. And straight into his food. With laughter from everyone around him accompanying his every move, he slowly brought his hand to his face to wipe it off.

The rest of the school day carried on in the same manner, and Percy found that, past put aside, his old friends were still pretty cool. Ya, he was still pissed that they stood around while Jason bullied him, but he could see himself hanging out with them. 'Though they probably won't want to hang out with me once I break Jason's heart' Percy harshly reminded himself.

Percy tried to understand where Jason was coming from. But he couldn't. What would _force_ Jason to bully him? Absolutely nothing. Meaning, Jason had decided, with his own free will, to bully Percy. But now that they're soulmates, suddenly Jason is Prince Charming. Jason was probably doing this to mess with Percy. Well, Percy wouldn't let that happen.

 **OPERATION HEARTBREAK GIRL**

 **Procedure #1 - Gain Trust (In-progress)**

 **Procedure #2 - Make the little shit known as Jason Grace fall in love with Percy**

 **Procedure #3 - Break his heart one way or another**

Maybe Percy is paranoid, but he doesn't think everyone has warmed up to him yet, hence procedure #1. He can't exactly blame them. If someone randomly joined his friend group out of nowhere, he would be a bit wary of them too.

As important as Procedure #1 is, #2 is the most important of all of them. If Percy couldn't get Jason to fall in love with him, there was no possibility of him breaking Jason's heart. It just wouldn't work.

Then came #3. Percy wasn't sure how he would do it. He didn't want to be too cruel, as not-cruel as you can be when purposely breaking someones heart in 2. He wasn't a complete jerk, he just wanted Jason to feel the sting of revenge. Percy was petty, sue him.

The next day, Jason was feeling confident. Two days had past since the incident and yesterday Percy seemed to get along well with his friends. Today, Jason would propose that he and Percy go on a friendly outing.

 _Wow, am I pathetic,_ Jason thought. Its a date. And nobody could possibly believe otherwise. Jason was hopeful that Percy was gonna accept and say yes. Jason was gonna go all out on this.

Percy sauntered into school on Friday morning wearing some skinny jeans and a lifeguard sweatshirt with black chuck taylors. Everyone stared at him, leaving one very confused Percy. So what if he was dressed like a hipster wannabe? That doesn't warrant everyone staring at him. He soon realized that the stares weren't aimed at his choice of clothing when he reached his locker.

Taped to his locker were sketches of him. The were beautiful and detailed and made Percy look like a god. There were drawings of him swimming and drawings of him laughing and drawings of him doing other mundane things and if that didn't boost his self-esteem, nothing ever would. There were other things too, like bunch of heart stickers. Percy could easily count 20. There was also a rose, dyed blue of course, jammed in between the slots in his locker so that only the flower part stuck out. Percy was standing there, gaping like a fish out of water when Jason snuck up from behind Percy and wrapped him up in a back-to-chest hug.

"Do you like the surprise?" Jason asked, smug. He continued,"I can't draw for shit but I remembered that you liked art so I got Piper and Annabeth to collab on a couple of sketches."

"I must say, Grace, I'm impressed," Percy quickly hid his amazement and traded it for playful banter. "Although, the rose wasn't necessary".

Laughing, Jason slung an arm around Percy and led him of to his first class. But, they had to run back to Percy's locker. While he had stared at his locker for 5 minutes this morning, he was in to much awe to actually open it and get his books. Hence, running back last minute to get them. He opened his locker under the watchful eyes of Jason. Opening it, there was a piece of paper taped to the inside door. In elegant calligraphy were the words 'If you think this is cool, just wait for lunch.' Turning around and smiling at Jason, Percy got his books and the pair made their way to class. As they made their way to class, Percy silently prayed Jason couldn't see how firetruck red his face was.

Some days, during lunch, he was supposed to go to Mr. Brunner for "therapy". But, now that he had friends he could spend lunch with. He requested to have his sessions moved. So, the sessions were moved to every Friday during 4th period. Which led to the situation at lunch. You see, due the fact that the sessions were for therapy purposes, Percy was usually very emotionally drained after them. It effected him physically too. It made him sluggish. It wasn't that big a deal to Percy. He's dealt with worse, he could deal with sluggish, lazy feelings and not wanting to talk to anyone.

However, at lunch it became apparent that his friends couldn't deal with it quite as well as Percy did. Practically falling into his seat, Percy leaned against Luke an put his head on his shoulder.

"Hey, Perce, you ok?" Luke questioned with concern.

"Peachy," Percy mumbled snuggling deeper into Luke's fuzzy sweater. 'It's like a blanket' Percy thought. That was his last thought as everything went dark.

Walking into the cafeteria, Jason could see Percy basically enveloping Luke. He was fisting his sweater and had his arms wrapped around him like an octopus. Jason knew it was entirely platonic but he couldn't help but get jealous. _He_ was Percy's soulmate. _He_ was supposed to be the one cuddling with Percy. Trying to calm his temper, Jason walked over.

"Yo, Perc-" Jason was cut off by Piper, who was quick to shush the loud man-child threatening Percy's sleep.

Taking a seat, Jason sent Piper a look of complete and utter confusion. Gesturing to Luke and Percy, Jason hoped Piper got his message. He would just ask her but the "SHHHHHHHH" noise she made earlier seemed pretty threatening.

Annabeth whispered to Jason, "He just sat down, leaned into Luke, and passed out. I don't know why, but he is just sleeping. I checked for any medically causes earlier and came up empty handed."

Nodding at the information, Jason took out his lunch and began to look. Everyone looked at him incredulously.

"He's tired. Just let him sleep while we eat. But Luke, if you wake him up I will gut you with a plastic cafeteria knife." Jason spoke, more like commanded.

—

Ten minutes before lunch was to end, Jason requested that Luke wake Percy up.

Percy woke up and looked around, confused. He remembers ending his and Mr. Brunner's session, but after that everything is kind of clouded. He does remember cuddling into something fuzzy but that was it. Percy unwrapped his arms from… Luke? Why were his arms around Luke in the first place. Percy liked Luke as a friend and it was no big deal but, why did he have his arms around Luke's waist?

"Man, you were out of it for a while, Kelp-For-Brians", Thalia said with a smug grin. Another thing that came with friends- nicknames. Once they found out he was on swim team, the jokes rolled on in.

"Hey babe, are you OK?", Jason asked, the ever concerned boyfriend. After Percy nodded, Jason continued. "Good because I have a surprise for you. You remember the note from this morning?" Percy nodded yet again. Jason smiled before stand on top of the lunch table.

Percy was _very_ confused. Why the heck was Jason on the table?

"Percy Jackson," Jason began, gaining the attention of the whole student body. "I met you 3 years ago when you first moved here. You instantly caught my eye. Unfortunately, it took me a while to realize how special you really were. In fact, it wasn't until we got our soulmate marks, that I really _saw_ you. It was a real eye opener. So, Perseus Jackson, would you give me the honor of going on a date with you?"

Percy was blushing like a middle school girl. He wasn't one to get flustered but he's been blushing around Jason a lot. Now, with all eyes on him, awaiting his answer, he was frozen. Percy began nodding, slow at first, but eventually nodding really fast with a big grin splitting his face in 2.

Jason's face was glowing as a majority of people in the room clapped and whistled at Percy's response to Jason's little improve speech.

And then Drew Tanaka stepped forward.

Most schools have a "mean girl" and Drew Tanka was the mean girl of Half-Blood High. Drew was admittedly pretty. She was of asian heritage, her Thai blood making her look exotic. Drew had long black hair and dark brown eyes and her freckles added to her charm. Unfortunately, she was rather rude and inconsiderate.

"Well look! The desperate fag finally found a one night stand. Jason, I salute your kindness. It's really sweet that you took pity on this loser.", she said with a sickly sweet smile.

Jason stepped forward to say something, but Percy put a hand out to stop him before taking a step forward.

"It's funny, because his desperate fag somehow got a better date than you, Tanka. By the way if I'm desperate you're boyfriends is pathetic. He's obviously wearing shoes that are too big for him."

Percy didn't usually insult people but Tanka and her boyfriend had been jerks to him since day one. Lucky for everyone, the bell rang, dismissing the drama (for now at least).

Later that same day, after school had ended, Percy was at home when there was a ring at the door. He opened it to find Jason Grace on his door step. Percy suddenly felt dressed down. He was wearing pajama pants and a hoodie. Meanwhile, Jason was wearing a white button down, jeans and combat boots. He was holding out roses for Percy to take.

"Hey, so I was thinking we could go on that date today." Jason said, almost like a question.

Percy grinned, "Totally! Let me just leave a note so that my mom doesn't panic when she gets home."

After Percy wrote a note for his mom and changed into jeans and a tee, they left. Percy thought they were gonna take the elevator down and go for a walk and eat somewhere. He was very confused when Jason pushed the button for the top floor.

If he noticed his looks, Jason didn't say anything.

Jason was really excited for this. He had the whole thing planned to a T. It was a little after 6, but he had actually arrived at the building at 5 to set everything up.

They stepped out of the elevator and Jason led Percy up the stairs to the roof. Percy knew what they were doing by now and he couldn't wait. Even though he had a rough idea of wha would happen, he was pleasantly surprised. When he got out there was a picnic blanket with a bunch of pillows, a box of pizza, and soft rock music playing in the background. Jason was just happy that the pigeons and squirrels didn't get to the pizza before the did.

Together, they sat down. At, first they sat stoically next to each other without touching. But as the night progressed, they slowly relaxed into each other's company. The pizza was wonderful and the sunset was a beautiful background and Percy wasn't afraid to point it out. About an hour in, Percy started talking about the hues and the gold and pinks. Jason couldn't help but fall more in love with the beautiful man in front of him. They talked about almost everything- teachers, classes, other students, their plans for the future, themselves. It was a lovely night, until Percy ended up falling asleep across Jason. Jason smiled fondly and thanked the heavens tonight went well.

 **AN- Thanks for reading. Next update will hopefully be September #1. In that chapter there will be another Jercy date and a surprise for Percy.(please stop reading here if you are not of age) For those of you who didn't get the shoe thing, theres a thing where a mans shoes can tell how big his penis is.**


	4. Luminescence

After their first date, Sally had approved of Jason. Which led to many more dates.

The second date was paintballing. The third was an impromptu pizza run. Then there was they amusement park… and the beach… and the picnic at dawn. Percy's personal favorite was that time when Jason and he basically bought the entire local candy store.

Tonight they decided on the movies. They Jason picked Percy up at 7:15 for the 8:00pm showing of 'Baby Driver'. Walking into the theater, Percy refused to let Jason pay and they both got sour patch kids, a large popcorn, and an XL icee to share. They walked into the theater and found their seats. Jason squeezed Percy's hand as the lights dimmed.

Percy was heartbroken. That movie was so sad and it hit so close to home, with Baby's family and just his life and general. Jason, sensing a shift in mood from Percy, remained quiet as they exited the building.

The ADHD teenager and the curious boyfriend somehow managed to stay quiet the entire ride. That in itself was an accomplishment. Right when Percy was about to open the doors with his keys, Jason stopped him.

"Doll, you okay?" Jason asked, really worried about his silent boyfriend. Jason was worried, but his worry got worse when Percy didn't even protest the pet name.

"It's just," Percy fiddled with his hands, "Baby has such a hard life, and uh… well- uh, you see…" Percy didn't know why he was having such a hard time. He could tell Jason to mind his own damn business or he could tell Jason what he's thinking. When he was younger, he fidgeted way to much, even for a kid. He also was way behind in reading. By the time he was 7, he was taking meds for his ADHD and he had very obvious accommodations for his dyslexia. Before he moved to Olympus Estates, he was the freak of his school, all because of some minor disabilities. Luckily, he got better control over his dyslexia and ADHD before moving. His Ritalin and reading support was like Baby's music. Then there was also the whole thing of Baby's family situation. When he was 4, Sally married what a appeared to be a successful and kind man. However, they soon found out that he was a unstable gambler and his "wealth" was a loan from an old friend. The man, Gabe, was an abusive slob and by the time Percy was 9, cuts and bruises were a regular thing. Fortunately, when Percy was 13, Sally caught on and called the cops. The rest of a year was a blur to Percy and the only event he can recall specifically is passing out on Rachel's couch with her after a night of ice cream and tears. After that, Sally and Percy moved to Olympus Estates for a fresh start.

Before Percy knew it, he was slowly slipping away. He was conscious, but his mind took him far away.

Jason stood next to Percy, supporting him. He couldn't figure out what was wrong. He mentally went over the day's events. First, he picked Percy up. They got their snacks and went into the theater. They watched the movie and came back. However, Percy only seemed upset after the movie, but what could have happened. Between Percy's nervous stuttering and blank outs, Jason was getting _very_ worried about his boyfriend. Percy was always confident and living in the moment. He _very rarely_ spaced out and he never stuttered.

Jason led Percy to the couch and went to Sally's bedroom. He knocked and told Ms. Jackson the situation. Jason felt weird asking his friends mom for help but Percy's well-being was more important than his pride.

A faint "damnit" could be heard from inside, making Jason's insides churn. Sally never sweared, _never_. The fact that she was swearing about Percy's current state was very concerning.

After making sure that Ms. Jackson had everything under control, Jason left and gave the family their space.

Percy came to school the next morning looking like shit. It was fitting because that was how he was currently feeling too. He wanted to skip, but recently he'd been skipping too much. He couldn't afford another day out.

The first half of the day consisted of Percy receiving worried looks from his friends. They must have noticed that something was off. Surprisingly, Percy didn't see Jason until lunch. This time, instead of sitting in between Luke and Jason, Percy sat in between Piper and Thalia. Percy didn't mind confrontation but when it came to sensitive subject like this, he would prefer to avoid them. Percy knew that Jason was probably very confused and worried, but he didn't want to talk about it.

All throughout lunch, Jason sent Percy worried glances. He was kind of hurt that Percy didn't want to sit next to him, but he could understand that Percy wanted some space after last night. His only problem was that he knew it was unhealthy to bottle up feeling and that was exactly what Percy was doing.

After lunch, Jason pulled Percy aside.

"Hey, we need to talk about this. You can't jus-"

"I can't what, Jason?" Percy asked, visibly annoyed. Upon noticing how conflicted Jason, Percy softened his voice. "Look, I don't want to talk about it. I'm fine, just forget about it." Percy didn't mention how he didn't want to tell Jason anything personal, so that when they broke up, Jason would have any personal information or rumors to retaliate with. Percy gave Jason a soft smile before walking away. He almost felt bad about leaving Jason in the dark when he had that sad look on his face. But, he didn't need to justify himself to anyone, even his 'boyfriend'.

 **Hey guys, I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but its more of a filler and a set-up than anything else. However, I can guarantee that the next chapter will be MUCH longer. I should have it out by the 12th. Leave a comment and thanks for reading.**

 **-Blackout**


	5. Doubt

It went like this. It was a Tuesday, a beautiful wonderful tuesday that was filled with sunshine and rainbows. Then Drew and her lackeys came along.

Drew, while being stunningly gorgeous, had never looked so vicious. Maybe it was the fact that her heels made loud, resonating clacks as she and her groupies approached. Never one to stand down, Percy straightened his back and pushed his shoulders back.

Drew's current boyfriend, Bryce, grabbed Percy by the collar and next thing, Percy is being pulled forwards only to be slammed back into his still open locker. Percy could feel the locker door crash into his back painfully, and he could feel Bryce hands fisted in the front of his shirt. It hurt like hell, but he'd had worse. Then, the punches started, their were quite a few, Percy wasn't paying attention to the number of hits.

"Huh? So you're a fag now? You think just because Jason is your soulmate, these things will stop?", Drew sneered.

Percy grinned up at her from where he was bent over, "Why yes, I do."

Bryce got another fist ready, when suddenly Jason was there, shoving him back.

"Leave him the fuck alone!" Jason practically screamed.

Percy ignored the protests his bruised and sore flesh made, and got up to calm Jason down before he earned _them_ a detention. Percy grabbed Jason's shoulder.

"Lets leave. They're not worth this much of our time."

Percy, while never one to stand down, didn't want Jason to get in trouble because of him. He didn't wait for Jason. He just turned and walked away, confident that Jason would follow him.

He was proved correct when he felt a warm palm grip his shoulder and turn him around. He was turned around only to be pulled into a comforting embrace. Percy resisted the urge to scratch at his ear as Jason leaned down to whisper into it.

"Let's blow this popsicle stand."

Percy laughed at the phrasing as he and Jason walked out of the building, shoulder to shoulder.

The went to Jason's place, seeing that it was closer. Leading Percy into the condo, Jason could see Percy's eyes take in the 'shiny'. After making sure Percy was settled on his bed, Jason ran and got the first aid kit his parents kept in the closet upstairs.

Jason ran back to his room, only to find Percy rolling around on the sheets, looking like a deranged burrito. Shaking his head fondly at the childlike action, Jason picked up the burrito and sat it upright.

"Percy, can you come out so I can see the damage?" Jason asked.

A hand popped out of the bundle, the middle finger straight up in salute.

"Aww, come on, don't be that way." Jason mocked, suddenly finding the situation humorous.

It took a couple of tries, but Jason finally got Percy out of the bundle.

"Percy, darling, what was the point of that?"

"Well, _darling,_ you're just to fun to annoy." Percy started laughing but stopped when the action caused his core to throb painfully from soreness.

Remembering what had happened earlier in the day, Percy took the first aid from Jason and started walking to the bathroom. However, Jason stopped him. Percy wanted to thank the heavens when that happened because he actually had no clue where the bathroom actually was.

Jason led Percy over to the bathroom and opened the kit on the marble countertop. There wasn't really much he could do for the injury, so he followed Percy's suggestion of getting an ice pack. After tenderly applying the ice to his rib and stomach area, Percy also requested that Jason get something hot to apply. Luckily, his mom owned a heating pad.

"Thanks Jason. The ice stopped the blood and the heat stops swelling."

How Percy knew that, Jason would never know.

After Percy got patched up, they spent the rest of the day watching netflix. Jason insisted on Supernatural, but since Percy already saw all of the episodes, the watched Sherlock instead. Now imagine Percy's surprise when he found out that Jason had never watched Sherlock before.

"Excuse me?!" Percy said really exaggerated. "What do you mean you've never watched Sherlock? Do you live under a rock?" During the rock question, Percy got all up in Jason's face so that they were practically nose-to-nose.

Jason just laughed.

After watching 2 episodes, Jason had to go use the bathroom, which left Percy alone with his thoughts.

Jason was being so nice to him right now. He help defend him, and helped him patch up. Plus, he was a great cuddle buddy. Percy was starting to wonder if Jason was still playing an angle, here. What could he possibly get from watching TV with Percy. Was he trying to get closer so that when the trick was revealed it would hurt more? Percy sincerely doubted it. No one puts that much effort into a fruitless relationship. Maybe Jason was trying to turn over a new leaf? No, that couldn't be. He spent 3 years investing his time in being a class A-jerk. People don't just change overnight.

Soon, Jason came back and all of Percy's doubts were forgotten in favor of eating chips.

 **If you're** **actually reading this I applaud you. I know that last chapter I said this chapter would be juicy, and personally, I think it is. I know it's not long, but it gets through to the point. It seemed like there would be more content in my outline, but when I actually started writing, I didn't get very far in terms of words and pages.**

 **Next chapter has a lot going on and I should be** **able to get it to you guys by the 21st. However, school started last week and that date is just an estimation.**


End file.
